A standard home inspection isn't a pest inspection, and a wood-destroying insect report only covers termites and similar pests. Ants, rodents, and roaches aren't on it.
Pest control play · New homeowners
New homeowner marketing for pest control: start their plan before the first ant shows up.
New owners don't know what the last owner was dealing with, and the home inspection may have only covered wood-destroying insects. Spur finds every recent sale in your service area each week, writes a welcome card about the home they bought, and mails a free pest assessment offer within days of closing.
Free forever plan · No card · 20 property searches a month
USPSFirst-Class
Maya Thompson608 Hidden Pines DrApex, NC 27502Scan to book a free assessment
Maya T. scanned your welcome assessment card · 17 min ago
AI-written for this owner · Mailed in 2 days
Weeklynew sales pulled and mailed automatically
First 30 daysafter closing, before routines set in
~4Mexisting U.S. homes sold in 2024
The problem
New owners inherit the previous owner's pests, and nobody tells them.
By the time a new owner calls, they've already found droppings in the pantry and called whoever ranked first in search.
Someone checks county records for a few weeks, then the busy season hits and the list stops getting pulled.
How it works
From list to mailbox in one workflow.
Five steps that run every week on their own.
app.usespur.com
See it in Spur
A new homeowner list in Spur
Sample Apex, NC sales from the last 45 days. Names are partly masked.
Apex service areaSold last 45 daysSingle-familyOwner-occupiedExclude customers
- Maya T.608 Hidden Pines DrBuilt 2002 · sold 9 days agoBacks woodsCrawl space
- Jordan & Eli R.1415 Laurel Glen CtBuilt 1996 · sold 16 days agoCreek lotWood deck
- Carla V.220 Salem Pond RdBuilt 2018 · sold 22 days agoNewer buildPond nearby
- Ted B.711 Hidden Pines DrBuilt 2001 · sold 34 days agoSame streetCrawl space
- Nikhil S.3302 Olive Chapel RdBuilt 1989 · sold 41 days agoOlder home0.6 acre
AI draft for Maya T. · 608 Hidden Pines Dr
WELCOME TO HIDDEN PINES. WHAT WAS THE LAST OWNER DEALING WITH?
Hi Maya, congratulations on your new home. Houses that back onto the Hidden Pines woods, especially ones with a crawl space like yours, tend to see more ants, spiders, and mice than homes a few streets in.
Your home inspection probably didn't cover general pests, and the previous owner may not have mentioned what they were treating. We'll do a free top-to-bottom assessment, including the crawl space, attic, and exterior, and give you a written report.
If you want ongoing protection, our quarterly plan includes free callbacks between visits. Scan the code to book your assessment.
Carolina Shield Pest · NC Lic. #2104 PW · (919) 555-0186
Sample data for illustration. Your results depend on your market and filters.
Playbook
Why new homeowners are the best pest control prospects
A home sale resets the pest control relationship. The previous owner's provider usually loses the account, the buyer has no history with anyone, and nobody has told them what the house was being treated for. Roughly four million existing homes sold in the U.S. in 2024, and every buyer is choosing service providers in their first months.
New owners also have less information than they think. A standard home inspection is not a pest inspection. Many purchases include a wood-destroying insect report, typically on the NPMA-33 form and required by some loan programs such as VA loans in many states, but it covers termites and other wood-destroying insects, not ants, roaches, spiders, or rodents. Explaining that gap is a useful, honest opening.
Speed matters. Buyers settle into routines and pick providers in the first few weeks. Pull new sales every week and mail within days of closing. A free pest assessment with a written report is the right first offer: it's useful on its own, it gets you inside the home, and it leads naturally to a quarterly plan.
Use what the records tell you. Homes near woods, creeks, or ponds; older homes with crawl spaces; and homes with wood decks carry more pest pressure. Mention those conditions on the card so it reads as local expertise rather than a coupon.
Send a second card. Moving is chaotic and the first piece may get lost in the boxes. A follow-up three weeks later, with a different headline, catches buyers who meant to call.
Mention the seasons ahead, too. A buyer who closes in March will see ants and spiders within weeks; one who closes in September will meet rodents first. Matching the welcome card to the season they're moving into makes it immediately relevant, and it gives the free assessment a clear purpose. Spur can write a different card for each closing month automatically, so every new owner gets a message that fits when they moved in.
16×return on a year of Spur Team from 20 new quarterly plans at $480/yr
A steady stream of new-owner plans.
- Spur Team: $588/yr, plus 60 new-sale cards a month × 2 touches × 12 months = 1,440 postcards at $0.94 = $1,354
- 20 new plans × $480/yr = $9,600 in recurring revenue in year one
- About 5× the software and postage combined, and new owners often keep the plan for years
Example math. Sales volume, response, and retention vary by market. Run your own numbers →
One tool, not four
Spur vs. the usual way to reach new homeowners
What you needThe usual waySpur
Recent sales in your area, weeklyChecking county records by hand✓ Built in
Welcome card per homeGeneric new mover coupon pack✓ Built in
Mailed within days of closingMailed whenever someone remembers✓ Built in
Scan alerts with name and addressNo way to know who read it✓ Built in
Automatic second cardNo follow-up✓ Built in
New Homeowners by the numbers
Why new buyers need a pest assessment
~4 million
existing U.S. homes sold in 2024, and every buyer starts choosing service companies after closing
WDI only
the wood-destroying insect report used in many home sales covers termites and similar insects, not general pests
16×
return on a year of Spur Team from 20 new quarterly plans at $480/yr
FAQ
New homeowner pest control questions
How do I find new homeowners for pest control?
Search recent sales in your service area. In Spur you can filter for owner-occupied homes sold in the last 30 to 60 days and set an automation to pull new sales every week.
Doesn't the home inspection cover pests?
Not general pests. A standard home inspection isn't a pest inspection, and the wood-destroying insect report used in many sales covers termites and similar insects only.
When should pest control companies mail new homeowners?
Within the first two to three weeks after closing, with a second card three weeks later. Most buyers choose providers early.
What pest control offer works best for new homeowners?
A free pest assessment with a written report. It's useful on its own and leads naturally to a quarterly plan.
Is new homeowner mail better than buying pest control leads?
The leads are exclusive, you choose the area, and the cost is postage rather than a per-lead fee shared with competitors.
Keep exploring
Related plays and guides
Start in minutes. No card required.
Be the first pest company every new buyer hears from.
Set your area once, and Spur mails every new owner a welcome card each week. Free to start.
Find new homeowners who need pest control — freeFree forever plan · No card · 20 property searches a month
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